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blogging into books 
05.02.2005, 5:58 PM
"Baghdad Burning" collects roughly a year's worth of posts from the blogger known as Riverbend, the 25-year-old Iraqi woman who has been electrifying western readers with her regular reports from the tumultuous heart of the American occupation. But do blogs necessarily stack up as books? Conversational Reading points to a San Francisco Chronicle review that says they don't, just as binding a stack of news articles does not make a coherent work of history: "'Baghdad Burning' fails because the characters and anecdotes are too varied to establish a compelling narrative." Riverbend may very well have a good book to write, but "Baghdad Burning" just seems like slick packaging, reminding us that a book is much more than just a vessel. As a blog, Riverbend soars. As a book, it clatters around like nuts and bolts.
Posted by ben vershbow at May 2, 2005 05:58 PM
tags: Blogosphere
